Air conditioning equipment



March 15, 1932. s. M. ANDERSON I 1,849,061

' AIR CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT Filed June 21, 1930 IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEYS.

I jurious to nose,

Patented Mar. 15, 1932 SAMUEL M. ANDERSON, 0F SHARON,

MSSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO B. F. ST'U BTEVANT COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A. COMPANY AIR conmrroimre EQUIPMENT Application filed June 21, 1930. Serial No. 462,779.

This invention relates to air conditioning equipment and relates more particularly to air conditioning equipment of the unit type.

An object of the invention is to introduce fresh air into an enclosure and to adjust the temperature and humidity of the fresh air as desired. 1

Another objec of the invention is to combine air circulating, heating, and humidifying functions in a unit ventilator.

Indoor comfort requires not only that the temperature of'the air be regulated but that a constant supply of fresh air be introduced. In summer fresh outdoor air needs to be cleaned and then introduced intoa room without draft.

In winter when it is necessary that the air be heated, living conditions are greatly improved when the air contains a substantial amount of moisture or water vapor. 'When air is heated in the absence of free water, as is customary when hot'air furnaces or steam radiators are used for heating, it becomes dryer although the actual amount of water vapor present remains the same. In other words, the absolute humidity is the same but the relative humidity has been lowered. Relative humidity is the ratio of the weight of water vapor in a given space as compared with the weight which the same space is capable of containing when fully saturated at the same temperature. Dry heated air is inthroat, and lungs when constantly breathed and is at times responsible for sore throats and the ordinary colds. For healthy conditions, heated air should contain sufiicient moisture to maintain a relative humidity of from 35% to The humid ity to be recommended in good ractice is 50%, with a room temperature of 2 F.

According to a feature of this invention an air conditioning unit adapted to small enclosures, such as school hospital, and oflice rooms, etc. is provided. By having separate conditioning units to a room or series of rooms in a building, theair may be conditioned to suit the requirements of the occupants independently of the other rooms of the building. Many buildings are erected without provision for built-in air conditioning systems and in such buildings the air conditioning units, according to this invention, may be installed to completely solve the air conditioning requirements. ings where the large apparatus rooms, deep basements, and elaborate duct Work essential to central air conditioning systems cannot be provided for or are not desired, the conditioning units, according to this invention, are peculiarly adapted.

According to another feature of the invention, a unit ventilator combines the functions of drawing fresh air into an enclosure,

cleaning it, adding moisture to it, and heating it as comfort requires.

One embodiment of the invention comprises a fresh air intake, intake dampers, an air circulating fan, an air filter for removing dirt, dust, and soot from the air, a humidifying chamber Where moisture may be added to the air, a heating unit for heating the air and temperature control, and recirculating dampers for regulating the amount of conditioned air entering the room.

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is an internal view, from the side, of an air conditioning unit according to this invention mounted in an enclosure, the air of which is to be conditioned;

Fig. 2 is a view of an optional arrangement for a humidifying chamber that may be used in the air conditioning unit of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a partial View of an optional arrangement of the water supply chamber which may besubstituted for that shown by Fig. 1. The water supply inthis figure is shown to be filled with steel wool to prevent rippling of the water by the air flow.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawings, an opening 5 is made .in the wall of the building connecting with the outside ,air, the grille 6 which may be decorative is installed over this opening, the fresh air to be drawn into the enclosure passing through this grille. The air intake dampers just before the grille 6 and serve to regulate the amount of air entering the enclosure through the grille. Spaced just behind the air intake damper 7 is the air filter 8, which In other buildv fan housing 9 is arranged as a water basin 11 which contains the water which may be used to supply moisture to the entering air. Attached to the fan housing 9 just below the water basin 11 is the heating unit 12, within which are arranged the heating coils 13. Arranged on the exit side of the fan 10 are the circulation dampers 14.. Arranged above.

the circulating dampers 14 is the air heating unit 15 which serves to heat the air passing through the conditioning unit. Above the heating unit 15 are temperature control dampers 16 which serve to regulate the amount of air passing through the heating unit 15. The heating unit 15 does not fill the space of the housing, and arranged on each side of the heating unit are the by-pass dampers 17. Arranged above the heating unit is the grille 18, through which the air leaving the conditioning unit passes into the enclosure where steam may be applied to the air heating unit 15 and to the water-heating unit 12.

The operation of the air conditioning unit will now be explained.

In summer months no steam is supplied to the heat ng units and it is not necessary that water be supplied to the water basin 11.'

The fan 10 is riven by an electric motor and draws fresh air through the grille 6 which, in passing the filter, is cleaned and then forced into the enclosure through the exit grille 18. The intake dampers 7 may be adjusted to control the amount of fresh air entering the conditioning unit or the speed of the motor drawing the fan 10 may be adjusted. I

In winter months the water basin 11 is filled, the level of which may be maintained by means of a float valve connected with a water supply (not shown). Low pressure steam from a cogvenient steam supply (not shown) is supplied through the steam pipe 19 through the water heating unit 12 and the air heating unit 15. The amount of fresh air entering into the air conditioning rooms is adjusted by arrangement of the air intake dampers 7. With the fan 10 in operation, the air drawn through the grille 6 passes over the filter 8, is cleaned, and then enters the fan housing and passes over. the surface of the water in the water basin 11. Due both to the heating of the water by the heating unit 13 and to the agitation of the surface of the water by contact of the air thereon, the air passing the water absorbs considerable moisture so that its/relative humidity is increased above that desired for comfort. This moistened air then passes over the heating unit 15,

where it is heated and dried so that it passes out through the exit grille 18 having the temperature and relative humidity desired. The dampers 14: may be adjusted to control the amount of air passing over the heating unit 15. The by-pass dampers 17 may be adjusted to permit a small or a large portion of the air from the fan 10 to pass around the heating unit 15. The dampers 16 ma be adjusted to regulate the amount of heat rom the heating unit 15 passing into the room. The adjustment of the dampers forming a part of the air conditioning unit may be manual or automatic to maintain exactly the air condition desired within the room. In the same'way the intake dampers 7 may be adjusted manually or automatically.

While the water level in the water basin 11 may be arranged as shown in contact with the air stream, under certain conditions noise may be produced by the rippling of the surface of the water by the air stream, and where this noise is not desired, the water basin 11 may be filled with finely divided galvanized steel wool 20, as shown by Fig. 3. The water in the water basin would fill the interstices of this steel wool 20 and would be vaporized by the heat from the heating unit 12.

The water heating coils 13 are shown in Fig. 1 to be arranged within an enclosure which may be attached to the fan housing 19 below the water basin 11. With this arrangement the water is contained within the fan housing 9'and in case chemical and other matter may be deposited from the water, it would perhaps be diflicult with this arrangement to clean the water deposits from the base of the fan housing.

Fig. 2 shows an optional arrangement for supporting water within the fan housing, the water basin in this arrangement being removable from the fan housing so that it may be easily cleaned; The lower portion of the fan housing is removable, the heating pipe 13 being supported in the water basin 11.

The amount of moisture taken up by the air passin through the fan housing can be controlled y adjustment of the temperature of the water in the water basin. The temperature of this water may be easily controlled by adjustment of a valve in the steam line leading to the heating unit 12.

The air conditioning unit, according to this invention, may be usedin a variety of ways. For example, the dampers 7 may be closed, the fan 10 shut down, recirculating dampers lnot shown) opened, and the air within the room heated by direct radiation from the heatin unit 15. This direct radiation may be use to keep the building warm during unoccupied periods and to supply auxiliary heat if necessary.

The fresh air drawn into the unit may be heated or only a portion may be heated with the remainder byassed around the heating unit. All of the eshair enterin the unit may be heated or none of it may e heated. With the various adjustments which, as before stated, may be manual or otherwise, it is believed to be obvious that close control may i be had over the temperature and humidity of the air passing from the air conditioning unit.

Whereas one embodiment of the invention has been described, for the purpose of illustration, it should be understood that it is not to be limited to the particular embodiment described but only by the annexed claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A unit ventilator comprising a casing having an intake for fresh air, a filter for cleaning said air, a fan for circulating said air, a housing for said fan, a water supply in said housing in contact with said air, means for heating said water supply, and means for heating said air after passing said water supplg. a

2. 'unit ventilator comprising a casing having an intake for fresh air, a filter for cleaning said air,'a fan for circulating said air, a housing for said fan, a water supply in said housing of said fan in contact with the air produced thereby, a heater for heating said water supply, a heater for heating said {air after passing said water supply, and means for passing a portion of the air produced by said fan around the heater for said air.

3. A unit ventilator, comprising a casing having an intake for fresh a1r, a damper for controlling the quantity of air admitted through said intake, a filter for cleaning said air, a fan for circulating said air, a housing for said fan, a water supply in said housing in contact with said air, means for heating 'said water supply, and means forheating said air after passing said water supply.

4. A unit ventilator, comprisin a casing having an intake for fresh air, a amper for controlling the amount of air admitted through said intake, a filter for cleaning said air, a fan for circulating said air, a housing for said fan, a water supply in said housing in contact with the air from said fan, a heater for heating said water supply, another heater for heating said air after passing said water supply, and means for passin the portion of said air produced by sai fan around the heater for said air.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

SAMUEL M. ANDERSON. 

